C.D. Mote, Jr. is president of the National Academy of Engineering and Regents’ Professor on leave from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Mote is a native Californian who earned his BS, MS, and PhD degrees at the University of California, Berkeley in mechanical engineering between 1959 and 1963. After a postdoctoral year in England and three years as an assistant professor at the Carnegie Institute of Technol­ogy in Pittsburgh, he returned to Berkeley to join the faculty in mechanical engineering for the next 31 years. He and his students investigated the dynamics, stability, and control of high-speed rotating and translating continua (e.g., disks, webs, tapes, and cables) as well as biomechanical problems associated with snow skiing. He coined the area called “dynamics of axially moving materials” encompassing these systems. Fifty-eight PhD students earned their degrees under his mentorship.

He held an endowed chair in mechanical systems at Berkeley and chaired the Mechanical En­gineering Department from 1987 to 1991, when the National Research Council (NRC) ranked its graduate program effectiveness highest nationally. Because of his success at raising funds for mechanical engineering, in 1991 he was appointed vice chancellor expressly to create and lead a $1 billion capital campaign, which raised $1.4 billion.

In 1998 Dr. Mote was recruited to the presidency of the University of Maryland, College Park, a position he held until 2010 when he was appointed Regents’ Professor. His goal for the university was to elevate its self-expectation of achievement and its national and global positions through proactive initiatives. During his tenure the number of Academy members on the fac­ulty tripled, three Nobel laureates were recognized, and an accredited school of public health and a new department of bioengineering were created. He also founded a 130-acre research park next to the campus, faculty research funds increased by 150 percent, and partnerships with surrounding federal agencies and with international organizations expanded greatly. The number of students studying abroad tripled, and he created an annual open house day that attracts over 100,000 visitors, founded a charitable foundation for the campus whose board of trustees launched and led a successful $1 billion capital campaign, and took to lunch every student that wanted to go. The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked the campus #36 in 2010 and its Engineering School #13.

The NAE elected him to membership in 1988 and to the positions of Councillor (2002–2008), Treasurer (2009–2013), and President for a six–year term beginning July 1, 2013. He has served on the NRC Governing Board Executive Committee since 2009.

Dr. Mote’s recognitions include the NAE Founders Award, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Medal, and the Humboldt Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany. He is an honorary fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, honorary member of the American Society for Engineering Education, and fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Academy of Mechanics, Acoustical Society of America, and American As­sociation for the Advancement of Science. He holds four honorary doctorates and three honor­ary professorships. Dr. Mote was elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2015 and as an honorary academician of the Academia Sinica, Taiwan in 2016.

As president of the NAE Dr. Mote is committed to ensuring highly competitive talent in the US engineering workforce, facilitating public understanding of engineering, demonstrating how engineering creates a better quality of life and engaging the academy in global engineering issues in support of national interests. A highlight of global engineering engagement is the promotion of the NAE’s fourteen Grand Challenges for Engineering from 2008 whose solutions are needed to achieve the global vision “Continuation of life on the planet, making our world more sustainable, safe, healthy and joyful.”

A recent report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that sexual harassment has broad impacts. It affects not only the women who are targeted but also bystanders and the entire research enterprise.

‘The Grand Challenges for Engineering project was conceived to raise public awareness – especially among young people – of some of the biggest global issues of our time and the roles that engineers, and engineering must play in addressing them.’

Most don’t know the engineering behind how our increasingly technologically-dependent world works. When creating something is the question, engineering is the answer. We all enjoy the handiwork of those we celebrate during National Engineers Week (February 18-24 this year).

While managers are responsible for the tactical executions necessary to achieve a certain goal, leaders instead determine the overall strategic vision and set those goals. But first, they must know who they are leading.

It is my privilege to welcome all our members, foreign members, and friends to this year’s annual meeting of the National Academy of Engineering. I extend an especially warm welcome to our newly elected members and foreign members and can assure you that this induction day, just like last evening’s dinner, will be one you will remember. And I would be remiss for not extending a special welcome to all the spouses who so graciously support our service to the academy.

Continuation of Life as We Know It on the Planet – An Engineering Vision

Continuation of Life as We Know It on the Planet – An Engineering Vision [1]
President Zhou Ji, esteemed Members and Foreign Members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, dignitaries, guests and friends, it is truly a great honor to be elected to the academy, and I will endeavor ...

I am honored to welcome all our members, foreign members, special friends, and guests to this 51st annual meeting of the National Academy of Engineering. I offer my warmest welcome to our newly elected members and foreign members and assure you that this induction day will be one that you will remember. And a special welcome is extended to all our spouses who have put up with us so graciously and make our work at the Academy possible.

It is my pleasure to join you and the Institute at this PeaceTech Summit today.
We have chosen the theme of this Summit, “Engineering Durable Peace,” with careful deliberation. Its central premise and that of the Roundtable is that engineering, science, and technology can be ...

In his address March 21 at a first-of-its-kind engineering leadership conference at Rice, NAE President Dan Mote urged engineering students to understand the difference between being a leader and being placed in a position of authority.